Argentina national under-20 football team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Argentina U-20

Nickname(s)	Albiceleste (The White and Sky Blue) Los Cebollitas (Little Onions) Los Pibes (The Kids)
Association	Asociación del Fútbol Argentino (Argentine Football Association)
Confederation	CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation)
Head coach	Diego Placente
Captain	Claudio Echeverri
FIFA code	ARG
First colours Second colours
First international
Argentina 5–0 Venezuela  (Buenos Aires, Argentina; 27 February 1951)
Biggest win
Argentina 8–1 United States  (São Paulo, Brazil; 4 May 1963)
Biggest defeat
Uruguay 5–1 Argentina  (Quito, Ecuador; March 8, 1981)  Brazil 4–0 Argentina  (Quito, Ecuador; March 5, 1981)
FIFA U-20 World Cup
Appearances	18 (first in 1979)
Best result	Champions (1979, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007)
South American Youth Championship
Appearances	29 (first in 1958)
Best result	Champions (1967, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2015)
Medal record FIFA U-20 World Cup Gold 1979 Japan Team Gold 1995 Qatar Team Gold 1997 Malaysia Team Gold 2001 Argentina Team Gold 2005 Netherlands Team Gold 2007 Canada Team Silver 1983 Mexico Team

The Argentina national under-20 football team represents Argentina in international football tournaments for players aged 20 or younger. These tournaments are organized by FIFA.

Argentina is the most successful country in the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The team has won this competition a record six times! They have played in 18 of the 24 World Championship events since 1979, winning their first title that year. Argentina has also won five South American Youth Championships.

Many of Argentina's best players started their careers in these youth teams. Some famous names include Sergio Agüero, Pablo Aimar, Ángel Di María, Diego Maradona, Javier Mascherano, and Lionel Messi.

History of Argentina's Youth Football

1979: Winning the First World Title

The Argentine team that won the 1979 World Youth Championship

Argentina did not play in the first FIFA World Youth Championship in 1977. However, they joined the next tournament in Japan. The team, coached by César Luis Menotti, won the tournament. They played with a great style, keeping the ball a lot and making many different passes. They also had strong defense and offense, scoring 20 goals in total.

Diego Maradona and Ramón Díaz were the team's star players. This tournament was Maradona's first official championship with a national team. He played amazingly, showing off his passing, dribbling, and free-kick skills. He scored six goals during the competition.

Argentina started strong in Group B, beating Indonesia 5–0. They then won against Yugoslavia 1–0 and Poland 4–1. The team finished first in their group, scoring ten goals and only letting in one. In the knockout rounds, Argentina crushed Algeria 5–0. Then, they defeated their rivals, Uruguay, 2–0.

In the final on September 7, they beat the Soviet Union 3–1. This made them World Youth Champions for the first time! Ramón Díaz won the Golden Shoe for being the top scorer with eight goals. Maradona received the Golden Ball as the best player of the tournament.

Other important players from that team included Juan Simón, Gabriel Calderón, and Juan Barbas. Many people still consider that team one of the best Argentine national squads ever.

1981–1991: A Tough Decade

Argentina playing against Brazil in the 1983 World Cup final, where they lost 1–0

Argentina played in the next tournament in Australia in 1981. They lost 2–1 to Australia, drew 1–1 with England, and beat Cameroon 1–0. Argentina did not move past the first stage, earning only three points.

The team played much better at the 1983 championship in Mexico. They reached the final against Brazil. In the first round, Argentina beat China PR 5–0, Austria 3–0, and Czechoslovakia 2–0. They finished first in their group without letting in any goals.

In the quarter-finals, Argentina defeated Netherlands 2–1. They then beat Poland 1–0 in the semi-finals. On June 19, 1983, Argentina played Brazil in the final and lost 1–0 at the Estadio Azteca. Carlos Pachamé coached this team.

Some players from that team were goalkeeper Luis Islas, defenders Fabián Basualdo, and midfielders Mario Vanemerak.

Argentina did not qualify for the 1985 and 1987 championships. However, they played in the 1989 tournament in Saudi Arabia. Argentina lost to Spain in their first match. They recovered by winning their second game against Norway 2–0. Even though they lost their last match to Iraq, Argentina still made it to the next round. In the knockout stage, Brazil beat them 1–0.

For the 1991 championship in Portugal, Reinaldo Merlo coached Argentina. This was Argentina's worst performance in youth tournaments. They finished last in their group with only one point. They lost to Korea 1–0 and then to hosts Portugal 3–0. In the Portugal match, three Argentine players were sent off for rough play, leading to a fight. Because of this, FIFA banned the Argentina Football Association (AFA) for two years.

Some players from that team included Mauricio Pochettino and Juan Esnáider.

Pékerman Era: The Golden Years

Because of the ban, Argentina could not play in the 1993 World Cup. The Argentina Football Association (AFA) decided to hire a new coach, separate from the senior team's coach. They chose José Pékerman, who, despite not having much experience, convinced the AFA to hire him.

The team's success was almost instant. Argentina won the first World Cup they played with Pékerman as coach in 1995 in Qatar. In the first stage, Argentina beat the Netherlands 1–0, lost to Portugal 1–0, and then won 4–2 against Honduras. This put them in second place and into the quarter-finals, where they beat Cameroon 4–0. In the semi-finals, Argentina defeated Spain 3–0. Then, in the final, they beat Brazil 2–0, getting revenge for the 1983 tournament.

Some of the most famous players from this team were Juan Pablo Sorín, Ariel Ibagaza, and Leonardo Biagini.

Argentina won its third title at the 1997 championship in Malaysia. The team beat Hungary 3–0 and Canada 2–1, but lost to Australia 4–3. Argentina moved to the round of 16, where they defeated England 2–1. In the quarter-finals, Argentina knocked out Brazil with a 2–0 win. They then beat the Republic of Ireland 1–0 in the semi-finals. In the final match on July 5, 1997, the team defeated Uruguay 2–1 to win their third championship. The team also received the FIFA Fair Play Award for their good behavior.

Argentina showed off talented players like Walter Samuel, Diego Placente, Esteban Cambiasso, Pablo Aimar, and Juan Román Riquelme. Many of them were already playing in Argentina's top league.

Their performance in the 1999 World Championship in Nigeria was not as good. Argentina finished third in their group, winning against Kazakhstan 1–0 but losing to Ghana 1–0 and drawing 0–0 with Croatia. In the round of 16, Mexico defeated Argentina 4–1, and they were out of the tournament.

In 2001, Argentina hosted its first Youth Championship. The team won its fourth title, which was their third championship in seven years. Argentina started at the José Amalfitani Stadium (where they played all their games in Buenos Aires) by beating Finland 1–0. In the next game, Argentina crushed Egypt 7–1, with three goals by Javier Saviola. They finished the group stage by beating Jamaica 5–1.

In the knockout rounds, Argentina defeated China (2–1), France (3–1), and Paraguay (5–0). They won the tournament with a strong 3–0 victory over Ghana in the final on July 8. Argentina won their fourth youth title without losing a single game. They scored 27 goals in 7 matches and only let in 4. Javier Saviola won both the Golden Shoe (as top scorer with 11 goals) and the Golden Ball (as best player). Argentina also received the FIFA Fair Play Award again. Besides Saviola, the team had many strong players who were already experienced in the first division, such as Nicolás Burdisso, Andrés D'Alessandro, and Maxi Rodríguez.

The 2001 championship was the last title won with Pékerman as coach. This ended a brilliant time that brought great respect back to Argentine football.

2003–2007: Success Continues

After Pékerman left, former goalkeeper Hugo Tocalli became the new coach. With Tocalli, Argentina started the 2003 championship by beating Spain 2–1. They also beat Uzbekistan (2–1) and Mali (3–1). Argentina finished the first stage unbeaten. In the round of 16, they beat Egypt 2–1, then defeated the United States 2–1. However, Argentina lost to Brazil 1–0 in the semi-finals. They also lost to Colombia in the match for third place, finishing fourth overall. Striker Fernando Cavenaghi was the top scorer of the tournament with 4 goals.

In 2004, Pékerman became the coach of the Argentina senior team. A year later, Tocalli joined Pékerman's staff, and Francisco Ferraro became the youth team coach. Ferraro led the team to its fifth title at the World championship in the Netherlands. Argentina lost to the United States in their first match but won against Egypt (2–1) and Germany (1–0) to qualify. From the round of 16 to the semi-finals, Argentina beat Colombia (2–1), Spain (3–1), and Brazil (2–1), reaching the final for the sixth time. On July 2, 2005, Argentina defeated Nigeria 2–1 in the final to win their fifth youth championship. Both goals were scored by Lionel Messi from penalty kicks. Messi was the team's leader, and his amazing play earned him both the top scorer and best player awards.

In the 2005 team, Lionel Messi was the star. He had already won the La Liga title with FC Barcelona. Other important players for Argentina that year included Oscar Ustari, Ezequiel Garay, Fernando Gago, and Sergio Agüero.

Two years later, the team won its second straight title at the 2007 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Canada. After a 0–0 draw with the Czech Republic in their first game, Argentina crushed Panama 6–0 and beat North Korea 1–0 to qualify. In the knockout stage, Argentina defeated Poland (3–1), Mexico (1–0), and Chile (3–0) to reach the final. In the final on July 22, Argentina won its sixth title by beating the Czechs 3–1. Sergio Agüero was the top scorer with six goals and also won the Golden Ball as the best player. Other key players were goalkeeper Sergio Romero, midfielders Éver Banega and Maxi Moralez, and forwards Ángel Di María and Mauro Zárate.

Since 2009: Recent Challenges

Argentina's amazing success could not be repeated in the following seven U-20 World Cups. The team failed to qualify twice (2009, 2013). They were also knocked out in the group stage on two occasions (2015, 2017).

Team Records and Achievements

FIFA U-20 World Cup Record

Year	Round	Position	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1977	Did not qualify
1979	Champions	1st	6	6	0	0	20	2
1981	First round	9th	3	1	1	1	3	3
1983	Runners-up	2nd	6	5	0	1	13	2
1985	Did not qualify
1987
1989	Quarter-Finals	7th	4	1	0	3	3	4
1991	First round	14th	3	0	1	2	2	6
1993	Disqualified
1995	Champions	1st	6	5	0	1	12	3
1997		1st	7	6	0	1	15	7
1999	Second round	16th	4	1	1	2	2	5
2001	Champions	1st	7	7	0	0	27	4
2003	Fourth Place	4th	7	5	0	2	12	8
2005	Champions	1st	7	6	0	1	12	5
2007		1st	7	6	1	0	16	2
2009	Did not qualify
2011	Quarter-Finals	8th	5	3	2	0	6	1
2013	Did not qualify
2015	First round	20th	3	0	2	1	4	5
2017		17th	3	1	0	2	6	5
2019	Round of 16	12th	4	2	1	1	10	6
2023		9th	4	3	0	1	10	3
2025	Qualified
Total	18/24	2nd	86	58	9	19	173	71

South American Championship U-20 Record

Year	Round	GP	W	D1	L	GS	GA
1954	Did not participate
1958	Runners-up	5	2	2	1	16	10
1964	Sixth Place	6	1	2	3	4	5
1967	Champions	6	2	3	1	9	7
1971	Third Place	5	3	0	2	7	3
1974	Fourth Place	5	1	2	2	3	5
1975	Third Place	5	2	2	1	7	6
1977	Sixth Place	4	0	2	2	3	5
1979	Runners-up	6	3	2	1	10	1
1981	Third Place	6	3	1	2	11	12
1983		7	5	1	1	17	10
1985	Fifth Place	4	1	2	1	5	3
1987	Third Place	6	3	1	2	9	9
1988		8	6	0	2	13	5
1991	Runners-up	7	3	3	1	12	10
1992	Disqualified
1995	Runners-up	7	5	1	1	10	3
1997	Champions	9	5	3	1	18	7
1999		9	8	0	1	21	3
2001	Runners-up	9	5	3	1	13	6
2003	Champions	9	6	2	1	15	5
2005	Third Place	9	5	4	0	19	4
2007	Runners-up	9	3	5	1	15	8
2009	Sixth Place	9	1	5	3	10	13
2011	Third Place	9	6	1	2	15	9
2013	Seventh Place	4	1	1	2	6	7
2015	Champions	9	7	1	1	24	7
2017	Fourth Place	9	3	4	2	15	14
2019	Runners-up	9	5	1	3	10	6
2023	Eighth place	4	1	0	3	3	6
2025	Runners-up	9	5	3	1	18	9
Total	29/31	206	101	57	46	338	198

¹Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.

Individual Player Awards

Besides winning team trophies, Argentine players have also won many individual awards at the FIFA World Youth Cups.

Current Team Squad

• The following players were chosen for the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup.
• Match dates: May 20 – May 26, 2023

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Club
1	1GK	Federico Gomes Gerth	(2004-03-05)5 March 2004 (aged 19)	Académico
2	2DF	Lautaro Di Lollo	(2004-03-10)10 March 2004 (aged 19)	Boca Juniors
3	2DF	Valentín Barco	(2004-07-23)23 July 2004 (aged 18)	Strasbourg
4	2DF	Agustín Giay	(2004-01-16)16 January 2004 (aged 19)	Palmeiras
5	3MF	Federico Redondo	(2003-01-18)18 January 2003 (aged 20)	Inter Miami
6	2DF	Valentín Gómez	(2003-06-26)26 June 2003 (aged 19)	Vélez Sarsfield
7	4FW	Juan Gauto	(2004-06-02)2 June 2004 (aged 18)	Deportivo La Coruña
8	3MF	Máximo Perrone	(2003-01-07)7 January 2003 (aged 20)	Como
9	4FW	Alejo Véliz	(2003-09-19)19 September 2003 (aged 19)	Espanyol
10	3MF	Valentín Carboni	(2005-03-05)5 March 2005 (aged 18)	Marseille
11	4FW	Matías Soulé	(2003-04-15)15 April 2003 (aged 20)	Roma
12	1GK	Lucas Lavagnino	(2004-08-22)22 August 2004 (aged 18)	River Plate
13	2DF	Tomás Avilés	(2004-02-03)3 February 2004 (aged 19)	Inter Miami
14	3MF	Mateo Tanlongo	(2003-08-12)12 August 2003 (aged 19)	Pafos
15	2DF	Román Vega	(2004-01-01)1 January 2004 (aged 19)	Zenit
16	4FW	Luka Romero	(2004-11-18)18 November 2004 (aged 18)	Cruz Azul
17	1GK	Nicolás Cláa	(2004-08-05)5 August 2004 (aged 18)	Lanús
18	4FW	Brian Aguirre	(2003-01-06)6 January 2003 (aged 20)	Boca Juniors
19	3MF	Gino Infantino	(2003-05-19)19 May 2003 (aged 20)	Al Ain
20	3MF	Ignacio Miramón	(2003-06-12)12 June 2003 (aged 19)	Boca Juniors
21	4FW	Ignacio Maestro Puch	(2003-08-13)13 August 2003 (aged 19)	Independiente

Top Goal Scorers

Lionel Messi is the all-time top goalscorer of Argentina U-20 national team with 14 goals

Team Honours

• FIFA U-20 World Cup
  • Champions (6): 1979, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2005, 2007
  • Runners-up (1): 1983
• South American Championship U-20
  • Champions (5): 1967, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2015
  • Runners-up (7): 1958, 1979, 1991, 1995, 2001, 2007, 2019
  • Third Place (8): 1971, 1975, 1981, 1983, 1987, 1988, 2005, 2011
• Pan American Games
  • Gold Medal (1): 2003
• Toulon Tournament
  • Champions (2): 1975, 1998
  • Runners-up (2): 1983, 1999
  • Third Place (2): 2003, 2009
• Granatkin Memorial
  • Champions (1): 2019

Related Football Teams

• Argentina national football team
• Argentina national futsal team
• Argentina Olympic football team
• Argentina national under-17 football team
• Argentina national under-15 football team

See also

In Spanish: Selección de fútbol sub-20 de Argentina para niños